Daniel P. Tompkins, 34, of Orange was ordered to serve 8 to 12 years in state prison for a Bernardston car crash that killed two women in 2007. Pictured here is 25-year-old Melissa Duff, one of Tompkins' victims, according to police.
Crash victim Melissa Duff, pictured here in 2007
Crash victim Heather Buffum, pictured here in 2007 with her childrenGREENFIELD – A Franklin County resident has been convicted of drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter in connection with a 4-year-old SUV crash that killed two of his passengers.
On Thursday, Franklin Superior Court Judge John A. Agostini ordered 34-year-old Daniel P. Tompkins of Orange to serve eight to 12 years in state prison for the June 20, 2007, fatal crash in Bernardston.
Police and prosecutors said Tompkins was driving the sport utility when it struck a guard rail, flipped over and rolled into a wooded area, ejecting 21-year-old Heather Buffum and 25-year-old Melissa Duff. Both women were killed in the crash, police said.
Tompkins and another passenger, Jeffrey Blake, also were thrown from the SUV, police said.
Tompkins was found guilty in a June 14 bench trial before Agostini in Franklin Superior Court, but his sentencing was delayed until this week.
The judge said not only was the crash “tragic,” but it was “manslaughter in every sense of the word.”
Agostini found Tompkins guilty on two counts of manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol; two counts of involuntary manslaughter; two counts of felony motor vehicle homicide; and one count of causing serious bodily injury by virtue of operating under the influence with negligence.
The motor vehicle manslaughter convictions carried a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years, according to the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.
Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne had urged Agostini to sentence Tompkins to the maximum allowable penalty.
On the evening of June 20, 2007, Tompkins was driving his Ford Expedition SUV with passengers Buffum, Duff and Blake, when the vehicle collided with a guardrail on South Street in Bernardston, according to authorities.
Massachusetts State Police estimated Tompkins was driving nearly 90 mph in a 40-mph zone. Police said tests showed his blood alcohol content was 0.12, or 1 ½ times higher than the legal limit for intoxication.
During the bench trial, Tompkins claimed that Blake was driving when the SUV left the roadway. But Agostini firmly rejected that claim, calling it “ludicrous.”
Gagne, the prosecutor, referred to the SUV as “a 2,500-pound blender,” saying it was "a miracle anyone survived.”
The victims’ families addressed the court, praising the judge and prosecutors but faulting Tompkins for failing to acknowledge his crimes.
“You will come out of this nightmare that you have caused for so many people,” Kenneth Erho, Melissa Duff’s uncle, told Tompkins, who remained silent during the sentencing.
“Melissa never will,” Erho said.
“A simple ‘I’m sorry,’ would go a long way,” Karen Beck, Buffum’s mother, said, addressing her remarks to Tompkins.
Family members shared photos of the victims with Agostini.
"Having these photos brought Heather and Melissa to life,” the judge said.